Posted on Friday July 19th, 2024 by Laura
Exciting developments are unfolding in Cologne, Germany, where ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are establishing a worldwide unique lunar analogue facility – LUNA. This week, the first lunar sandbag tapping —opening the bags to distribute the sand— marked an important step in preparing the hall for future Moon mission testing.
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Posted on Friday June 28th, 2024 by Laura
The team of ESA’s Spaceship EAC initiative revived their LEGO-building skills and 3D-printed the famous bricks from lunar regolith and meteor dust, providing a glimpse into how future construction on the Moon might look.
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Posted on Friday June 14th, 2024 by Laura
Anyone who has tried virtual reality (VR) applications knows about its many possibilities: from immersive video games and 360-degree movies, to virtual museum tours, meetings, or journeys to space – all from the comfort of your home. ESA’s extended reality (XR) lab at the European Astronaut Centre goes one step further and uses virtual, augmented […]
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Posted on Thursday June 15th, 2023 by Laura
Have you ever wondered how researchers test space equipment or conduct experiments in low gravity conditions before going to space? One way to achieve this is through parabolic flights, which offer short periods of reduced gravity. These flights started as a way to train astronauts, but now are mainly used for scientific experiments and testing new technologies.
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Posted on Wednesday May 17th, 2023 by Laura
A team of students and researchers are using virtual reality (VR) to bring ESA’s Argonaut lunar lander concept to life at the European Astronaut Centre. Argonaut is a lunar lander that will deliver scientific instruments and cargo to the Moon at the end of this decade. Interns and scientists involved in the simulations are part of ESA’s Extended Reality (XR) laboratory, German Aerospace Centre DLR and the Spaceship EAC initiative.
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Posted on Wednesday June 15th, 2022 by Ally
Filamentous fungi may not be the first thing most people think of when it comes to mining, but they could be the answer to construction on the Moon. João Figueira, a Master’s student with the University of Porto, Portugal, has been working with ESA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Aerospace Medicine, to uncover how a unique biomining method could mould Europe’s next steps in space.
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Posted on Friday May 13th, 2022 by julien
As Artemis sets its sights on the Moon, powered by the European Service Module (ESM), all eyes will again turn to the night sky. This interactive publication encourages us to look up at our natural satellite and think about how the Moon has inspired us, from Ancient Greece to the 21st century, to develop our understanding […]
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Posted on Wednesday January 12th, 2022 by Matthias Maurer
A main goal of my Cosmic Kiss mission is to share with you lots of fascinating science about space and spaceflight, as well as the life and work of an astronaut - on the ground, as well as and on the ISS. I'm thankful for all the positive comments and questions I receive every day and I will do my best to answer them on this blog. Stay curious!
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